Losing the Glamour: Part one
by SilenceInk
Summary: This is like a "Deleted Scene" based between the epilogue of Iron Daughter and Iron Queen beginning. It does change the story slightly and gives a broader version of the first "Love scene" between Ash and Meghan. For those who wanted more spice this would definetely quench that thirst. It is a long chapter, so it is presented in two pieces.


**Losing Your Glamour **

(Based after the Epilogue of the Iron Fey: IRON DAUGHTER. This is written before continuing on to IRON QUEEN presented in two parts.

The rain seemed to get colder the longer we stood there. I did not know if it was simply from the natural weather, the lingering effects of the misplaced Scepter, or if Ash himself was making the area cold. Would he still be able to have such power even after being vanished from the nevernever? We both observed the street we were standing on. There were a few spotty street lamps here and there, and across the street was an old worn down apartment building. Up the way I could make out a red light blinking in the early morning hours and I was able to see a few businesses just beyond that.

"Where have we landed?" I asked.

He looked around. I was still pressed close to him and his arms were wrapped around my waist. He seemed to be observing everything around us, as if afraid of some lingering shadow that might be there in the darkness waiting for us. I did not know if there was any danger coming after us. Somehow, to my own regret, I felt glad being back in the human world.

"I do not know," he finally said.

"I think there is a hotel up there," I said pointing towards the blinking red light. "We can get a room there and figure out where we are and how to go about things from there."

He considered the option for a moment then nodded as he let me go to lead the way. I walked close to his side, staring ahead at the stop light as the rain continued to fall around us. We had no money, and as we walked I was wondering how we were going to get anywhere. We needed dry clothes. We would need food and shelter. Then I remembered how Leanansidhe has used glamour to fake a credit card in the boutiques.

"Can you still use glamour?" I asked him.

He looked over at me as if being drawn out of a stupor.

"I believe so," he answered.

His voice was not as dark as it had been. Now he sounded lost almost and slightly apprehensive.

"I saw Lea do a trick with glamour to buy me clothes back when we had tried to break in SciCorp the first time."

I saw his muscles tense at the name, I knew it was never going to be a fond memory for him, and so I made a point to not ever bring it back up if I was able to avoid it. Virus was gone, killed by his own hand. The scepter was back where it belonged and the faeries had been made aware of the iron realm before banishing us from the nevernever forever…al because we loved each other. I shook all the unpleasant thoughts from my head as I focused on the here and now.

"I will tell you what to do," I said." You can use your glamour to get us a room for the night. I can go out and find food and dry clothes."

He nodded without saying anything. We walked up the street and surely enough just down a few blocks was a worn down strip mall with a liquor store and gas station and across from that was a twenty-four hour diner and hotel. We walked slowly. The further we went the colder it seemed to get. I figured that it was the natural weather of our mysterious location that caused such a chill. Ash did not seem affected at all, but my tattered dress was hanging heavy on me and I began shiver as we got closer to the place. When we reached it I looked around for anything that could be used to glamour into a credit card. I picked up what looked like a broken cellphone case and handed it to him.

"Have you ever seen credit cards?" I asked.

He nodded as he stared at the black chunk in his hand. Within seconds I blinked and found that a nice looking platinum card had taken its place. Even expecting the change I was surprised by the results. Ash smiled as he tucked it into his pocket and looked towards the hotel office.

"IU will wait here," I said.

He nodded and scanned the darkness before going away. I stood huddle near the dumpster, shivering in the rain as I waited for him to return. I saw through the window that a sleepy eyed man appeared when Ash entered. The spoke for a moment and I saw the man eyeing Ash suspiciously as he ran the fake card. My heart was pounding for a moment, nervously expecting for something to go wrong. Everything seemed okay though and I watched as Ash was handed a key and walked back out. I made my way quickly over to him and he wrapped an arm around me as he handed me the key.

"You are cold," he said.

I nodded as I looked at the number on the key than scanned around for the adjoining door. Ash followed me as I quickly went to number fourteen and opened the door. I went over to the heater immediately and turned it on full blast. Ash closed the door quietly behind us and stared at me as I huddled near the heater.

"You should stay here and get warm," he said. "I can go find you clothes."

"I would agree, but you are in my world now darling. I have the advantage here."

He gave a crooked smirk as he shrugged out of his wet coat and hung it over the desk chair. His shirt hung to his muscles like liquid paper. I had a hard time not staring at him as he stood there observing the items on the desk.

"Chattanooga, Tennessee," he said.

"Is that where we are?"

He seemed to consider it for a moment then turned back to me. I was still huddled near the heater, my arms held tight against my chest. He stared at me for a moment, his eyes dark and still mysterious, then walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel. He began drying off my hair and shoulders as stared at me with a fond expression. It was almost too emotional and feeling for him. I was not use to it.

"You did not have to come with me," he said. "You could have been returned to your home. I am sure the Summer King would have preferred it that way."

"You gave up everything for me, I was not about to let you just leave. I just got you back."

I felt my voice quiver on the last sentence. He stopped drying me off and his fist clenched tightly into the towel.

"I…I tried to do what I thought was right," he said. "But…eventually something began to tell me that maybe it wasn't. If these new fey could exist when everyone said they could not, than maybe there are some things that I was taught that can be changed as well."

He threw the towel into the bathroom and turned away. He shook the water droplets from his hair and walked to the door.

"I will get you warmer clothes," he said.

"How?" I asked.

He turned and gave me that sly smile as he walked out. I knew it had been a dumb question. If his glamour still worked than there was no doubt that he was going to be able to melt through glass, walk past mortals unnoticed, and probably even sneak around security alarms. I waited for the door to close behind him and left the heater on full blast as I went into the bathroom and pulled off my ruined heals. I shrugged out of the tattered dress and was surprised when it did not instantly turn into leaves and feathers. Being back in the human world, stranded in a strange place, really made me think of how Puck would be a good companion at the moment. But thinking about him, and the fact that I was never going to see him again, only made my heart hurt. I turned on the shower and climbed in letting the arm water relax my shivering muscles. A thousands thoughts ran through my mind as the water flowed. I did not know what to expect from morning or how I was ever going to get back to Louisiana. I did not even know if Mom and Luke were going to let me come home. And if they did, what was going to happen o Ash? Would I be able to convince mom to let him live in my room? Would Luke take him on as a helping hand for the pig farm? I laughed as I thought of the scenario. I did know one thing for certain, even in this shabby hotel with a bleak tomorrow: Ash was with me. Ash had proclaimed his love for me despite the consequences. An was going to be stranded and banished, at least I was not going in it alone. When I was able to convince myself to climb out of the shower I wrapped a towel around me and walked out of the bathroom in a billowing cloud of steam. A slight chill had filled the air and I walked over to the heater, thinking it had turned off, when I noticed the dark figure sitting in the desk. I gave a small jump and turned around. Ash was sitting there, staring at me with a blank expression, and I gave a small shout as I ducked back into the bathroom.

"Sorry," I said. "I did not know you would be back so soon."

""Do not apologize," he said.

His voice was even. I heard the chair creak as he stood up and the next moment he appeared in the open doorway holding a stack of dry clothes. I tried to keep him from seeing my blazing red cheeks as I took them from him. He smiled as he turned away and I dressed quickly before stepping back pout. He had taken off his shirt and hung that with his wet coat on the heater. I smelled food and saw a bag sitting on the desk. I stared at Ash as he sat at the end of the bed. He seemed rather brooding and quiet. I walked over to him and hesitated a moment, then wrapped my arms around his chest. His wet hair hung down in front of his eyes and despite the chill coming from his glamour he was warm. He placed his hands on my hips and stared into my eyes. His had lost their icy silver chill.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

He stared at me for a moment and pushed some of the wet hair off my cheek.

"We rest," he said.

I tried not to smile at his random remark.

"Are you still feeling okay?" I asked. I knew the battle was liable to have taken a lot out of him.

"I am fine," he said. "Lay down for a while."

He scooted over and I crawled into the bed as he wrapped me up in the blankets.

"Lay down with me?" I said.

I had grabbed his hand as he turned away. I could not help but feel my heart flutter a little as he smiled looking at it.

He was still for a moment then crawled into the bed next to me and laid down. I laid against his chest, my palm flat against his heart as I listened to his calm breathing.

I wanted to talk, to break the silence around us, but I was unable to think of anything to say. As the moments passed I felt myself growing warm and sleeping. Every time I glanced up at him he was only staring at the wall across from us with an even gaze.


End file.
